The Oregon Reproductive Health Equity Fund
Expanding access to reproductive health care in Oregon
In March 2022, the Reproductive Health Equity Fund began with a $15 million allocation from the Oregon Legislature to address gaps in Oregon’s reproductive healthcare infrastructure and expand access for our most vulnerable populations. In March 2024, the Fund completed awarding grants to enhance access to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare among underserved communities across Oregon.
The fund was administered by Seeding Justice to ensure dollars reach Oregon communities impacted by historic disparities in access to care, including rural, tribal and undocumented communities, and communities of color.
Reproductive Health Equity Fund Grants
The Reproductive Health Equity Fund provided financial support to projects, programs, and organizations focused on expanding reproductive health equity through (1) provider workforce and other care investments, (2) direct support for people seeking abortion and other reproductive services, (3) community-based outreach and education, and (4) research.
The Fund addresses Oregon’s reproductive healthcare crisis by recognizing that action is needed on two timescales: short term/immediate needs and longer-term/system change. Two distinct funding cycles have been designed to address these related challenges:
Rapid Response Grants
Providing funds to address urgent short-term and immediate needs related to barriers to reproductive healthcare, including to ease the burden on Oregon healthcare providers.
Systems Change Grants
Designed to address systemic changes needed to create a more equitable reproductive healthcare infrastructure in Oregon over the long term. These grants prioritized programs that focus on the unmet needs of communities most impacted by reproductive health care inequities.
Evaluation of RHEF Systems Change Grants
The evaluation below, by Sankofa Consulting, examined the effectiveness of the RHEF systems change portfolio in advancing reproductive health equity and gender-affirming care.
Following the legislative intent of the Oregon State Legislature, the evaluation was guided by this question: How did the RHEF systems change portfolio contribute to reducing inequities in healthcare?
The evaluation found that grantees implemented a wide range of community-centered strategies to advance reproductive health equity and gender-affirming care that spanned beyond their RHEF proposals. Approaches included community-guided governance, culturally responsive education, distribution of reproductive health tools and supplies, provider training and consultation, and civic engagement preparation. The goal is to be able to leverage these findings to inform future investments in reproductive health equity.
Case Studies
The following case studies by Sankofa Consulting examined aspects of the RHEF systems change portfolio through the work of individual grantees.
Your gift to the Reproductive Health Equity Fund will help us provide equitable access for reproductive health care to whoever needs it in Oregon, and support providers across the state.